


Rebound

by GemmaRose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Angst, Bilingual Lance, Codependency, Comfort/Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kissing, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 05:45:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8316151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: After losing everything, Keith and Lance take comfort in what they have left. Each other.Crossposted from the Voltron kink meme.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pentapus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pentapus/gifts).



The desert sand was hot under his knees, burning against his hands like the sun which seared against his skin. All around, there was nothing but sand and tall formations of stone. Blue’s presence was fading from his mind, and he struggled to hold on but it was like trying to cup the ocean in his hands. She was gone, and for the first time in what felt like forever his mind was quiet. He screamed, but the desert swallowed up the sound. This couldn’t be happening. He was a Paladin, _her_ Paladin, and she’d left him. Bonded with someone better, an alien born to fly who could match Allura in arm wrestling and snipe targets so far off Lance couldn’t even see them.

He sobbed, and the sands swallowed up that as well. There was nobody left to miss him, even. His family thought he was dead, and the rest of the team... Lance curled in on himself, the sand shifting around him to cradle his limbs and absorb his tears. They were gone, he’d never see them again. He could barely breathe through the silent sobs, and as the sand piled up around him he didn’t fight it. What was the point? He was worthless, he couldn’t even maintain a bond with the Lion that was supposed to be basically his soul twin. The sand built up around him further, covering his face and clogging his running nose. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. The grains burnt where they pressed against his skin, and-

“Lance? Lance!”

He sat up, gasping for breath, and when strong arms pulled him into a hug he hugged back as tight as he could. His face was already wet with tears, his throat raw, his chest tight with fear and grief.

“It’s okay.” Keith murmured, holding him close. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

“No me dejes.” he sobbed, fingers digging into Keith’s back. “No quiero estar solo.”

“Shh, shh.” Keith soothed, running his hand down the back of Lance’s head. “I’m not going anywhere.” he pulled Lance into his lap, and rested their foreheads together. “No te dejaré.”

Lance drew another shuddering breath, and Keith kissed the edge of his mouth. “Estoy aquí. I’m here, Lance. I’ll always be here.” he kissed the tip of Lance’s nose, drawing out a wet laugh.

“I’m serious.” Keith said, keeping his voice low. His throat tightened, but he swallowed and willed himself not to cry. Lance needed him to be strong, just like he needed Lance to be strong when he woke screaming from his own nightmares. “I’ll always be here for you. Siempre.”

“¿Me lo prometes?” Lance whimpered, and Keith pulled back just enough to make eye contact and nod.

“Sí.”

Lance’s ocean blue eyes welled over with fresh tears, and Keith let himself be pulled in for a wet, salty kiss. Or, well, a string of kisses. Lance had to pull away for gasping, shuddery breaths every few seconds, but the tears were slowing and that was the important part. They hadn’t been able to protect the rest of the team, but they could still protect each other. He couldn’t stop Lance from having nightmares, but he could make sure that his boyfriend knew they were just that, nightmares.

The flow of tears finally stopped, and Keith pressed a gentle kiss just under each of Lance’s eyes. “Better?” he murmured, and Lance nodded.

“Better.”

Better was a long way from okay, but Keith seriously doubted that either of them would be ‘okay’ again for a long time. After what they’d seen, what they’d lost...

“Thanks.” Lance murmured, shifting so he was straddling Keith’s lap instead of sitting sideways. “Dunno what I’d do without you.”

“Me neither.” Keith admitted, resting his cheek against Lance’s ear. The psychic bond had been just them, at the end, and when it first vanished he’d been filled with a near-paralysing fear. He hadn’t let Lance out of his sight for hours afterward, which wasn’t hard since Lance had been basically attached to him at the hip. He still got stabs of terror occasionally, when he tried to reach for Lance through the bond which no longer existed, but thankfully Lance was never far away. If something ever did happen to him, and Keith really was left all alone, he wasn’t sure what he’d do with himself. Fly for the Garrison? Their ships were clumsy and slow, weak pieces of dead metal with no soul but what their pilots poured into them.

“Hey.” Lance pulled back a little, one hand resting on Keith’s cheek. “Here and now, babe.”

Keith lifted a hand from Lance’s waist to rest over the one on his face, and offered up a small smile. “Sorry.”

“Don’t.” Lance shook his head. “No apologies, remember? Not for this.” he stroked Keith’s cheek with his thumb, and his chest twinged with the way his boyfriend’s face softened at his touch.

“Right.” Keith gave a shallow nod, and Lance pulled him in for another kiss. He leaned back, and Keith went down with him until they were lying on the bed. The warmth where they pressed together was comforting, one of Keith’s arms tight around the small of his back and the other hand twined with his, undeniably real and present and _alive_. Lance rolled his hips up against Keith’s in a silent question, and Keith’s searing kiss was more than enough of an answer.

Keith had to scoot over to the edge of the bed to get lube and a condom, and when he scooted back he found Lance sans boxers, one leg curled up and the other stretched out leisurely, scars on full display in the pale moonlight. Keith traced one gently, his fingers following the familiar line of scar tissue from the back of Lance’s thigh to the front. It had been such a large and nearly fatal wound, a difficult battle that Lance had only barely come out of, and yet this was the only remaining evidence. He pressed a kiss to the inside of Lance’s thigh, just opposite the deepest part of the scar, and popped open the lube.

“Can we take it slow tonight?” Lance asked, his voice weak and the question hesitant. Keith nodded, and removed his hand from Lance’s thigh so he could lean over and kiss those trembling lips. He dipped his fingers in the opened lube, and rubbed them together a bit to warm the gel up before sliding one slicked up finger into Lance. Lance ducked his head, breaking the kiss, and Keith relished the little whimper that slipped from his boyfriend’s lips when he added a second finger.

“Feel good?” he asked softly, pressing gentle kisses to Lance’s ear, the side of his neck, the edge of his jaw.

Lance nodded, and Keith brushed a gentle kiss over his open lips. “Tell me when you want more.” he murmured. He could easily probe deeper with his fingers, find Lance’s prostate and drive him to desperation, but he didn’t need a psychic bond to know that wasn’t what Lance needed right now. So he kept his motions shallow, his kisses gentle, and scissored his fingers carefully.

“I love you.” he murmured against Lance’s ear, and savoured the little whimper that earned him. “I love you so much.” tears welled at the corners of Lance’s closed eyes, and Keith kissed them away.

“Forever?” Lance whispered, voice shaky as his eyes slid open. The dim light from outside gilded his wet eyes silver, and Keith’s chest ached at the sight.

“Para siempre.” he promised, kissing away another tear, and Lance smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be more porny and less sad. I'm not entirely sure what happened...


End file.
